Taylor Swift: America's Sweetheart.

Who has the ability to win six Grammy awards by the age of 22, sell over one million copies of an album within its first week, has sold out concerts throughout the globe, all while writing her own songs and keeping the same down-to-earth personality? That's right, Taylor Swift. It all started when Swift was just 10 years old, singing at various local events including the Philadelphia 76ers game. At the age of 12, Swift decided that it was time for her to learn how to play the guitar and write her own songs. Swift was different from all the kids and associated herself as an outsider. Instead of playing outside after school, Swift would run home and think of more songs to write. Swift has always said that listening to her songs is like reading her diary, because everything is about her personal life. At age 14, Swift begged her parents to move to Nashville, Tennessee where all the country stars were. Her parents noted her dedication and unwillingness to give up so the Swift family packed their things and started a new life in Nashville, Tennessee. In just a matter of time, Swift signed a record deal with Big Machine Records where she then released her first single "Tim McGraw" in 2006. It appeared in her self-titled debut album, which was certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry, selling more than 2.5 million copies.

                                                       Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album released in 2006. 

Her first album quickly caught the attention of many teenage girls across the world. Songs like "Fifteen" that related to the struggles a freshman girl in high school goes through, or "Tied Together With A Smile" that talks about that one friend you have who struggles with body image issues but doesn't realize she's still beautiful were the kind of songs that her fans would listen to while having a bad day. Swift released her next album in 2008 called Fearless.

                                                    Taylor Swift's second album released in 2008 called Fearless

Taylor chose the name of the album Fearless for many reasons. In the back of her album, she wrote a quote:
“To me, Fearless is not the absense of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, Fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death.” Fearless stayed at the top of both the country and pop charts for 11 weeks straight. By the end of 2008, Swift had become the highest-selling country artist of the year. Swift has earned many awards through Fearless including "Album Of The Year"  and "Best Country Album" at the Grammy Awards. Once again, Swift's fan base grew even larger after this album because her songs could relate to pretty much any age group. In one of her songs, she talks about a day that she spent with her mom and how her mom had the ability to make her forget about all the terrible things her peers had said to her just by window shopping. Swift's songs weren't mainstream or based on what the record deal wanted her to produce. Her music was raw and from the heart, carrying true meaning about the daily struggles that most teenage girls have to go through everyday. Aspects like these are what made Swift to be so likeable by almost everyone.

                                                     Taylor Swift's third album, Speak Now, released in 2010.
Swift's third album, Speak Now, deals with love, heartbreak, and romance. Swift was especially proud of this album because she wrote the whole thing entirely on her own. She'd get her best ideas for a song at 3:00 AM while just sitting on her tour bus. The significance of the title means exactly what it sounds like. Swift believes that you should never hold back on what you have to say when you're in the moment. Whether it's a fight with your boyfriend, an apology, or saying 'I love you,' you should always say what you're feeling when the time comes until it is too late.

So there you have it. The amazing, talented, and beautiful Taylor Swift. Swift isn't one of those celebrities who strips down to their underwear while performing on stage or who spends all their time partying and drinking while trying to set an example for fans. Swift is original and has a genuine personality. Her music offers something fresh and new to her fans; something you can listen to while having a bad day, or when you just want to jump up and down on your bed while singing at the top of your lungs into a hair brush. Her songs have touched the hearts of so many young girls around the world and I don't see that fading away anytime soon. NB